I give up. It's too much for me and Ian to handle. Puff is once more laughing at our failed attempt to trap a Rattata in a fight. The thing moved too quickly and was too small to stop. "Ian, how much do you want to learn block?" I give him a tired look and he seems to consider his options. He sheathes his sword twice. No more. That strange scent picks up again but soon passes once more, I guess the village's psychic barrier kept out the smells of the forest because I haven't experienced this before. Maybe I have? I can't remember.

Ian floats into my hand again after being flung by me, something we developed over the course of a couple battles. Lately the Pokemon challenging us have been getting weaker, a sign that we are nearing the city despite the forest overhead being so thick. The rangers really keep this road safe it seems. Not that they would do anything for my village. Just a bunch of powerful snobs with bosses from the big city.

As I search around the small riverbank to find a whetstone to my liking I think about how the ranger supposed to be protecting our area hadn't ever been to the village and was this 30 something trainer who is a poison type specialist, particularly butterfly and moth ones. Kelsy(the teacher's assistant) had once made the journey to Blossom to try to get him to clear out our area on a particularly bad year but the trip was in vain. We received a notice months later from the league that said the problem had been taken care of and to contact them online or through email for any other incident reports. The Shiinotics had just stopped fighting around us on their own after a gang of Cleffables attacked them in a different area and forced them to unite, just moving the war instead of ending it. In this time I found 3 whetstones before I moved on.

The end of the Strange Forest was very dramatic and bright. About a hundred yards in from of me I saw this bright white wall. As I got closer the wall got brighter until I walked through the light and exited the tree line. There about a mile away from me was Blossom city, with three story buildings and huge domed structures. All of it decorated in pink, floral lighting and the air looked to have a sweet smell somewhat different from the strange one I was struggling to remember. For miles to each side the city stretched and a very nicely kept grasslands separated me from the place.

Disgusting. I grit my teeth in frustration. The bill for any one of those accessories was in at least the millions of dollars range, if not tens or hundreds of millions and could revamp Forestree into a defensive stronghold with the latest technology a hundred times over. Ian felt my anger and an eye held its position, watching me. Destiny bond had been a great move, able to knock out anything around as strong as Ian and damage stronger ones. Not even normal types were safe in our testing. He even connected to me when he could to improve the transition of energy from me to him.

By now I knew that the humming was his words, the soul link supporting the conversation. I could feel like I could almost understand them on just the third day. Puff was very expressive without me understanding her individual words and that helped a lot but Ian didn't have much I could relate to.

Puff gazed on in wonder from my head in spite of this and I could understand why. The sight was beautiful and impressive, like I was about to walk across a perfect field to enter a fairy type's heaven. I ended my staring by continuing to walk, both of my Pokemon being taken along with me. 

I could see a couple grass, fairy, electric, flying, and normal types gathering and some battling. They were all weak Pokemon that a kid from the city could catch if they wanted. The fourth Pokemon I wanted, albeit regretfully, was an electric type and wasn't found here.

I would have to make a trade with someone across the continent near the capital and the main power source to get it, maybe even have to purchase it if that wasn't an option. I had a tendency of liking slow Pokemon and I had forced myself to choose one that was a bit faster to guarantee that I wouldn't just get run circles around by some Minior. 

I kept walking with my trusty walking stick and saw some new trainers like me scattered about the grassy field, battling each other and the wild mon under the watchful eye of some Jennys and their mon. None of the wild ones tried anything beyond the understood rules of battle and it looked like a playground that I'd enjoy. One of the other trainers walked up to me "My name is Stewart Pidgey, I am going to be a Pokémon master and the best there ever was! I challenge you to a battle!"

I smile, funny name there. If I nicknamed him Stew and shortened his last name... "My name is Max Bo, I'll take you on and I'll bet once I see your Pokemon since you've seen mine."

"Wise move, for my Charmander and Ralts are really strong! Feast your eyes on their greatness!" he releases his mon at the same time and they strike a pose like they've been taught or something. With a name like that, I did expect greatness and I wasn't disappointed by his Charmander has big teeth and claws looking really fierce while the Ralts looks like a normal one.

"I bet 200 pokedollars then, in a two on two battle. Is that fine Stew?" I ask, crap I wasn't supposed to say Stew. Ian starts vibrating, picking up the joke now that I said something.

"Yes, and I will be so kind as to allow you to call me Stew like my friends for your loss is all but to be expected! I'll even give up double if I lose here!" he said confidently. Is he bluffing? No way he's actually that good. He's just some city kid who probably got a Pokemon for free just like me.

"Puff your up" I say, moving back to get into a decent spot to watch and command her. She trills loudly and flaps into the sky. 

"Then its up to you Hero!"

"When this berry hits the ground we start" I say, taking a berry to toss, one of the oran berries that are so plentiful. I have like 10 stocked up now and a few others for Puff to eat. I toss it and when it hits the ground we both command our Pokemon.

"Tailwind and then hyper voice!" I yell to Puff, getting into the spirit of the battle. I need to win and deal as much damage to that Charmander as possible before I send Ian out. It was a bad matchup but I was betting on my skills honed in wild attacks.

"Mystical fire!" Stew yells in tandem. A thin flame shoots out from Ralts' mouth and fades before it reaches Puff. I cover my ears in preparation as Puff fills her lungs. She moves closer and then releases a piercing cry filled with normal TE that breaks through the flame in a single shockwave. When it reaches, the Ralts gets flung downwards, curling up to protect its ears. Emboldened, Puff fills her lungs for another hyper voice and gets closer. 

"Get away! Don't let him in range or I'll feed you oran tonight!" that gets her attention and she stops her advance, even backing up a little before she cries out again. The Ralts had gotten up once the ringing stopped and Stew was still holding his ears. The hit lands and the Ralts stays down this time, hyper voice is pretty powerful for our badge count so it works like a charm. It's recalled before the beast is sent out.

"Go get em' Monster! Show em' how strong you are!" the Charmander walks up, "Dragon rush!"

I don't even know how he thinks that is going to hit until the Charmander takes a sprinting form before dragon energy lightly coats his body. He then takes a deep step and jumps up to Puff's level. Struck from below and still summoning another hyper voice she falls from the sky, tumbling as she does so. The Charmander lands first and roars, its claws grow longer and more grey as it rushes to finish the job.

"I forfeit her, get out there Ian" not going to let her faint for no reason and I recall her. I've seen enough to know that he has specially bred Pokemon, ones with all the egg moves and this one even seems too strong. I toss Ian into the ring and command him to use swords dance while that monster is still far away, hoping he just has physical moves.

"Go bite it, keep your metal claws running to block!"

Ok that thing has got to have at least be running ember. I don't believe for a second he's not baiting me but I don't have much choice. "Scratch when he gets close and be ready with wide guard!"

"Ha as if I would use tricks like super effective moves, crush him and show Max why I'm the protagonist of this story!"

"Yeah, be ready Ian!" definitely running something bigger than ember.

He holds his face as if he is distraught and I don't know how people like him actually exist as he's taking his eyes off the battle. As a sword, Ian is able to land the first hit, poking the Charmander in the snout and deactivating the bite but still gets beat back by the momentum as Monster clutches his injured snout. It's not even that bad but probably hurts a lot since its his nose. A rock to the face hurts too as I have come to know.

"Keep it up and strike his back if you can" I order.

"Monster metal claw! Don't let him circle you!"  

Monster is more timid and playing defensive which is good but I see a couple wisps of flame coming out of his mouth that worry me. It's trainer might not take advantage of a super effective move but I don't think it would have any problems with it. Monster is faster than Ian and it is showing, Ian can barely can barely get a hit in even with greater strength, the sheathe he is holding is slowing him down.

"Toss the sheathe at him." I don't know why he didn't drop it before, maybe it is somehow more important to him then his previous actions would suggest. I know he can learn autonomize and that might be a great way to get some steel moves in. Ian throws the sheathe weakly and Monster just knocks it aside. Nothing changed much except that Ian looks more natural in his movements now, floating as if he was controlled by a swordsman in cuts, stabs, and swings. 

 I keep trying to think, in this type of fight switching moves will not be quick and will be less effective damage wise. I look at Ian and see him getting parried and clawed up as Monster gets bolder. To hell with it "Ian-" Monster roars and smashes Ian into the ground, taking a wild swing at him and stomping his foot on the flat of the blade.

"That's right Monster! Show them how strong you are!" Stew encourages. He roars, in a long, drawn out fashion.

"Furry cutter now" I say to Ian. Now or never it seems. The small notches may be fine now since steel isn't good against steel but from that pinned position he'll be a sitting duck. Bug type energy coats his blade and Ian shakes around, slicing up Monster's toes before slipping out from under Monster's foot. The energy infests the wounds and Monster now roars in pain, clawing at Ian once more. 

As the bug TE stacks up it starts doing more and more damage, outpacing the frantic attempts to knock Ian out as he was able to escape. The continued fight works in Ian's favor as the wounds on Monster's foot cause him to be slower. He gets more and more exhausted and Ian even wraps his ribbon around his arm as he slices at his neck. That ends the strong little beast and spirals come from his eyes as he falls to the ground.

Damn that felt good, but it was close. No showing off and Ian would still be trapped under that big foot.

I walked up and took Ian in my hand as Stew recalled Monster. He tosses me the money and says "Such underhanded tactics will get you no where villain. Next time we meet I will be victorious and redeem my protagonist status!" He runs off to go to the nearby Chansey and nurse Joy.

What a weird kid, but hey, if he comes back he was good training and he gave me a lot of money too. I smile hungrily as I let Puff out. Your next Claire. I'm coming for that badge.